For MPR Music, you're connected to all songs considered I'm Bob Boylan with new music from Michael's

Stepe. Give me a hand, this is a new song from the REM singer and he's joined by the voice of

Galen Lee, who many of you might know as being our 2016 Tiny Desk contest winner. The song they're

performing together is part of Brian Eno's Earth Percent Project, with the goal of raising funds

for organizations tackling the climate emergency. Here's Michael Stepe on the song Give Me A Hand.

The lyric kind of wrote itself, I think it happened in less than 10 minutes. I went back in editing

a couple of lines at the very end of the song but it was really just a detail work. I think it

refers to a punk rock party that I went to in the early 1980s. I was probably 20 years old, 21

years old and I went dressed as um, up to in Sinclair's The Jungle. I was wearing a, like a

raincoat with a paper bag on my head and everyone thought that I was dressed as the elephant man

and I was very offended by that but I believe that's the jumping off point for the lyric of the song

instead of wearing a bag on my head. I wore a box on my head and I had something to prove.

I showed up at the party with a box on my head. I think for my supper I danced for the dead.

I cut the rock, cut as a buck, but go study and sound. Give me a hand.

I

I've learned my way around the dance monkey floor. It's easier with human humility more

more history art serves us right. Got a few trips left in a dog in the fight

oh

hi

oh

be who you are

who you've got to be

...